Good Sports: Table Tennis Champ Calls it A Career
Sharath Kamal, a 10-time national champion and twotime singles champion at the Commonwealth Games, has announced his retirement from table tennis at age 42. “For over two decades, I have lived my dream, representing my country, feeling the weight of the flag on my chest and giving my all on the table. It all started in Chennai in a small hall, with nothing but a racquet and a dream,” Kamal said in a video message at a special press conference inaugurating last month’s WTT Star Contender Chennai 2025, which was his final professional tournament.
Kamal achieved many firsts during his career, including becoming the first table tennis player from India to win an ITTF Pro Tour title, the Egypt Open in 2010. He won his second ITTF Pro Tour title at the Oman Open in 2020. Kamal also became the first Indian to win a singles gold medal at the Commonwealth Games in 2006. He reclaimed the title 16 years later. Altogether, he won seven gold medals, three silver and three bronze at the Commonwealth Games, as well as two bronze at the Asian Games.
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Compiled and partly written by Indian humorist MELVIN DURAI, author of the novel Bala Takes the Plunge.
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